Last Goodbyes
by My Angel's Wings
Summary: The gang says their last goodbyes to Cordy.


A/N: This takes place during and after the final scene in "Your Welcome" It's been done for a while, but I forgot about it. If you do not at least sniffle, you have absolutely no heart. Please R&R.

"So... "Cordy walked up to Angel "you feel good?"

"I do. I just...I kind of feel bad about it." Angel said

"My God, you are a piece of work" Cordy shook her head.

"I just don't feel like I deserve..." He shrugged

"I mean, all I did was beat up a tiny Texan. It's not like I helped anyone."Angel sat on the chair arm

"Sure you did."

"Who?" He asked. Cordy laughed

"Boy, I really do fall for the dumb ones. You know how you're always trying to save, oh, every single person in the world? Did it ever occur to you you were one of them?"

Angel shook his head "No, it never did."

"Well, you made the list, gorgeous. And you needed some help." He looked at Cordy.

"And you were the one that helped me."

"I did my part." She sat beside Angel

"Lindsey wasted a lot of energy trying to make me doubt myself. I know it's not even close to over, but I do feel like I can do this. Wolfram & Hart, whatever's coming, I feel like we can beat it."

"I know."

He looked at her questioningly "You do?"

She nodded. "I always did. I... I just needed you to know it, too."

"So all that stuff about the deals with the devil..."

Cordy nodded "Was God's honest truth." She looked at Angel "But you're bigger than that. You'll win this in the end." Cordy stood, and stepped away.

"I, uh... just wish I could be there to see it."

"What do you mean? You're not... "

She turned to face Angel'

"I can't stay. This isn't me anymore. You can say good-bye to the gang for me, explain everything once you understand."

"That's gonna be never." He walked toward her"I need you here. "

"Don't make it hard, Angel. I'm just on a different road... and this is my off-ramp. The Powers That Be owed me one, and I didn't waste it. I got my guy back on track." She said with tears in her eyes

"Cordy, there's just— "

Cordy touched his face "We take what we can get, champ, and we do our best with it. I'll be seeing you." She tried to smile through her tears then turned to walk out of the office. She stopped, turned around, and walked quickly up to Angel

"Oh, what the hell. One for the road? "She kissed Angel, who kissed her back just as passionately. But moments later, the telephone rang. They broke the kiss.

"You know, um... I don't...I don't need to get that."

Cordy tenderly straightened his tie

"That you have to get."

Angel walked toward the phone

"Oh... and you're welcome. "She cheekily called after him.

Angel answered the phone. "Hello. Yes, I know. She's... but that's impossible. She's standing right—"he turned to look for Cordelia, but she wasn't there. Angel became visibly upset. "I'm sorry. Yeah." He choked up "When did she die? Did she, um... she never did wake up? I see."Angel hung up and looked out to where Cordelia was standing moments earlier

"Thank you."

Angel sat staring out his office windows at the approaching dawn, meeting the gang totally forgotten. It had been several hours, but he could still feel her warmth in his arms... on his lips. As dawn came and went he heard the sounds of people arriving at work. His back was to the door as it slowly opened.

"Angel? Are you alright?"

Wesley. Angel could sense Fred, Gunn, Lorne and Harmony with him.

"Yeah man, you're looking paler than usual." Gunn put in.

"We were worried when you and Cordy didn't show up." Angel picked up on the tone in Fred's voice.

"You can put the stakes and crosses away, Cordy left."

"What do you mean she left?" Harmony came and stood in front of him, her hands on hips. The rest of the gang filed further into the room. When he didn't answer, Fred came over and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Angel?" He stood and faced the rest of the group.

"I got a...a call from her doctor. Her heart stopped last night; she never woke up from the coma"

"Wha...what? But...but that's impossible. She was here." Fred jaw shook as her eyes filled with tears. Wesley wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"It wasn't her, not really. She said that she only came back to set me straight, then she was going to...going to leave." Fred buried her face in Wesley's chest and Harmony burst into tears. Wesley also had tears in his eyes as he looked to Angel.

"I've got go there and sign for her body," His heart dropped at the word.

"I'll come as well," Wesley said. Fred looked up, her face tear-stained.

"We all will."

Angel had taken it well, in Wesley's opinion; he had taken care of all the paperwork and was talking to the doctor now.

"Can we... Can we see her?" Harmony asked the doctor.

He smiled understandingly and nodded. He beckoned them down the hall into a room. The doctor pulled the sheet covering Cordelia down. Fred covered her mouth, fighting more tears. The doctor quietly backed out of the room. Angel walked forward and picked up her cold hand.

"Cordy." He whispered. Angel fell to his knees quietly sobbing. Fred made a move to rush towards him, but Lorne held her back.

"He needs to be alone right now, sugar." He beckoned the rest of the group out of the room.

The funeral was at night, obviously. Angel, Harmony and Spike wouldn't have dreamed of missing it. All of Cordelia's friends from Sunnydale had come in from different corners of the country. The Scooby gang had all flown, and of course all of her nearest and dearest were there. Her parents were the only ones not present. It was arranged that anyone wanting to say a few words could. So, naturally, everyone did.

"She was, like, my best friend. We grew up together, and I always thought she was so cool." Harmony reminisced. "We used to have sleepovers where we'd talk about clothes and boys." She sniffed," I'm really going to miss her."

"Even though we've known her all of our childhood, it wasn't really until our senior year that we got to know her," Willow stood up in front of the crowd. Xander was also stand with her.

"And we found beneath it all, she had a good heart," he added.

"When I first came to L.A., She was the first to welcome me. She made me feel like this was where I belonged." Wesley said. "She was one of my most treasured friends."

Angel went last of all.

"These last few days have been hell for all of us. It is never easy to bury a dear friend. But I did get time to think. Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. But that's why there are people like Cordy. Good people who try to make it better. She made a difference. Not just to me, but to the world. We've been pushed to the edge so many times, but she was always there for each of us when it counted. She never let the darkness win. Never doubted for a second. She always knew that somehow, good would triump. It's because she believed. Belived in showing people that there's love and hope in this world; that it's not all darkness. She loved all of her friends dearly and would have done anything for them and them for her. One of the last things she said to me was that we take what we can get and we do our best with it. Cordelia lived by that until the day she died."

"Hey."

Angel turned away from his window. Buffy stood at the entrance to the office. Behind her, Angel could see the wake in progress.

"How are you holding up?" Buffy asked.

"Honestly? Like the world ended." Buffy shut the door and walked over to hug him. This close, Angel could see that her eyes were still red from crying.

"I can stay as long as you need me," she offered.

"You don't.."

"Someone once offered to stay with me when someone I loved died," Buffy interrupted.

"Even though he didn't end up staying, it help." Angel gave a small grin.

"Thank you." Buffy returned the grin.

"We should get back," she nodded to the door.

"Actually," he said, "there's something I need to do.

Angel knelt down at the tombstone that marked Cordelia's grave.

Cordelia Chase

1981 – 2004

She saw the pain, but felt only the love.

Tears slid down his face. He whispered hoping Cordy could hear him.

"I know it's late, but... I love you."

A/N After Post: Big shout out to all those how posted reviews. Even that critizing person in there. And for your info...more than 15 of this is mine...all I delibratly took from Angel (or anything else for that matter) was the end of "Your Welcome"...which I said. ("takes place during and after the final scene in "Your Welcome" " anyone remeber that?) Yesterday I saw the season five premire episode for the first time, and discovered that Harmony did indeed say something close to what I had her say. The reasoning for this-- it's a very Harmony thing to say. And rereading Angel's speech...yeah it does sound like some stuff he's said before. Again totally unitentional. I've been watching Angel so long, I forget what people have said. But even with those things, it's sill over 15 mine. Ok enough of my rambling....Get posting a review.:)


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